Manly’s just wild about Harry
7 hours ago | Andrew Ferguson
The Canterbury Bulldogs have snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a 20-18 win over the Dragons after a reverse of the earlier NRLW match at Accor Stadium.
Tyrell Sloan thought he had the first points of the game when he scooped up a bouncing kick and scored in the corner but the bunker quickly overturned it with Sloan pushing a Bulldogs defender. The Bulldogs punished the Dragons for ill-discipline as Jacob Kiraz went over in the corner as his toes were as close to the sideline as possible.
Viliame Kikau was then denied by the bunker after he was initially awarded a try by Adam Gee but as it looked live, replays showed the ball never got to the ground and the bunker overturned the decision.
Just after the fifteen minute mark, Tyrell Sloan scored after Clint Gutherson found space breaking through a Burton tackle before linking with Sloan. The Bulldogs hit back soon after when Stephen Crichton went into space before linking with Lachlan Galvin to score.
Things looked to be turning into one-way traffic as Reed Mahoney went over under the posts after going out of dummy half.
A surprise decision to go for two points closed the gap to 8 points for the Dragons after a late penalty.
The decision to go for two points helped the Dragons in the second half as they quickly grew momentum and Moses Suli went over in the corner after keeping his arm off the ground to reach out and score. The Dragons scored a second try in the space of three minutes when Sione Finau crossed in the corner despite the pressure of three Bulldogs players in defence. Flanagan's conversion attempt was successful giving the Dragons an 18-16 lead.
The game hung in the balance for a large chunk of the half but some ill-discipline and strange decision making from the Dragons put themselves under pressure. A short-dropout that didn't go 10m put the Red ‘V' under huge pressure before a repeat set mounted pressure and the a huge defensive mistake cost them.
Tyrell Sloan elected to rush up in defence which effectively meant that a pass from Lachlan Galvin out to Jethro Rinakama to score untouched out wide and give the Bulldogs a win.
The victory for the Bulldogs keeps them in third spot ahead of a big clash against Manly at Allianz Stadium to mark the 30th anniversary of their Premiership win whilst the Dragons have a trip up to Townsville to take on the Cowboys.
Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 20 - St George Illawarra Dragons 18
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney Olympic Park / Wanngal
Crowd: 30115
Halftime Score: Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs 16 St George Illawarra Dragons 8
LeagueUnlimited.com Players of the Match:
3 points - Clinton Gutherson
2 points - Connor Tracey
1 points - Viliame Kikau
CANTERBURY-BANKSTOWN BULLDOGS (20)
Tries: Jacob Kiraz, Lachlan Galvin, Reed Mahoney, Jethro Rinakama
Field Goals:
Two Point Field Goals:
Conversions: Stephen Crichton (2/4)
Penalty Goals:
ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA DRAGONS (18)
Tries: Tyrell Sloan, Moses Suli, Sione Finau
Field Goals:
Two Point Field Goals:
Conversions: Kyle Flanagan (2/3)
Penalty Goals: Kyle Flanagan (1/1)